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Let it be an Oak!
Originating from a blandly suburban 1950’s environment, my only awareness of trees was their built-in capacity for keeping one cool. In the early “back-to-the-land” seventies, living on a remotely forested farm in the MO Ozarks, I was fortunate to watch my husband master the fine art of weaving white oak baskets, hand-harvesting the rare straight grained tree that would generate the uninterrupted “splits.” Additionally, selecting the choicest wood for heating our home became paramount.
A few decades later, trees would become pivotal to our livelihood as nurserymen and garden designers - and at one point we even packaged and distributed juvenile trees nationwide as memorial gifts. Since becoming nursery growers, the esteem for our native trees has been significantly amplified, with the oak securing the lead. Concurrently in the early 2000’s we learned of an entomologist named Dr. Douglas Tallamy, whose passion for teaching and studying insects greatly enlarged when he and his family purchased an old farm in PA; ever the scientist, Dr. Tallamy quickly noted the curious absence of certain caterpillars as well as other insects, coupled with the prolific presence of invasive plants on their piece of land. He became passionate about eliminating all the invasive and exotic woody plants. After planting a white oak acorn in the soil near his house, twenty- four years later he observed over 240 species of caterpillars in that one thirty-five- foot-tall tree! In his early research he assembled a team to study relationships between the invasive plants on his land and insects, ultimately observing that when using native plants there was a upsurge in desirable insects. This revealed the advantage of planting “keystone species” on one’s property. Recall the wedge-shaped stones at the top of a stone archway, the one the builders place last to lock the whole structure together? Dr. Tallamy precisely identified the oak tree as that keystone tree upon which hundreds of caterpillars, spiders, butterflies, and moths dwell - thereby providing habitat and food suitable for birds and other wildlife. Dr. Tallamy approvingly notes about the insect food made available: “they’re soft, you can stuff them down the beak of your offspring without damaging their esophagus.” There are nine hundred species of butterflies and moths supported by an oak tree, more than any other native tree species. Dr. Tallamy’s most recent book The Nature of Oaks will provide you with a month-by-month analysis of this sequel, including planting instructions. This book would make excellent winter reading.
We love how oaks have been celebrated for thousands of years, with hundreds of scriptural references, as well as folklore and other accolades hailing their longevity and strength. The mighty oak has become an official national emblem in many countries and regions. Over these last several years, the Askey men at Overhill have been collecting and propagating a variety of oaks and are up to nearly one-fourth of the ninety species found in the U.S. The amount of oak diversity found here in the nursery provides an oak for any size garden or habitat, from the smallest shrub-like myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia), followed by the medium blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), and upwards to the stately white oak (Quercus alba)…as well as a few dozen in between-ers. Equally fascinating is how oaks are continuing to evolve, since dramatic weather has persistently impacted them over the centuries, yet they continue to be adaptable and stalwart! The dendrophiles among us hope you will consider owning one or ten [!] of these species! Look for them at the upcoming woody event.
Eileen Askey – Nursery Leader & Garden Designer
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